Witches Brew
by EscapeHollowFieldsClub
Summary: Gretel really couldn't explain how she got the wand-or why she even kept it. She just remembered finding it after Muriel's death and holding onto it. Why she hadn't chucked it over the nearest cliff was a mystery to her. She hadn't told Hansel about it either. She knew what he would say.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I dont not own Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. If i did, A) It would've been longer, and B) Hansel would've had the bow. :)

The forest near Augsburg, Germany wasn't the safest place to be, even during the day. Sure it was pretty, with tall, strong trees, and the ever-changing colors of the plants, but it was hardly a tourist attraction. In fact, not even the citizens of Augsburg and the surrounding towns dared to venture in there alone.

And that's exactly what Benjamin was, alone.

The sound of his boots crunching down on leaves was the only sound to be heard. It was late fall, and many of the trees had been stripped bare of their leafy coverings, leaving nothing but spiny skeletons against the pale blue sky. Ben never really liked fall. The sudden change in weather and environment never really suited his taste. The days were bitter and bleak. The nights too dark and dangerous.

And of course, fall was the favorite season of the witches.

The wind suddenly picked up, causing the branches to creak and scrape against each other. Ben turned so that he was walking backwards, his gun raised to his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow moving about in-between the trees and whirled the barrel of his gun towards it. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears and struggled to keep his fear under control.

_Don't panic_, he thought. _You can do this_.

The shadow had vanished completely, and Benjamin was beginning to think that it had just been a figment of the imagination. He lowered his gun slightly and started to relax.

Suddenly, a blast of sparks flew past his head and grazed the tree barely two feet behind him. Ben pointed his gun in the direction of the attack and fired. Smoke filled the clearing, blinding him for a moment. When it finally cleared, he could see no sign of anyone.

That's when black mass rammed into him with full force, knocking him flat on his back. Though stringy hair, the witch let out a ferocious screech and pinned him underneath her. Ben tried to raise his gun but the witch threw up her arm and knocked it from his hands. The gun landed with a dull _twump_ somewhere behind him.

Laughing, the witch produced a blade from her cloak and pressed it to his throat.

"Dead." She said simply.

Ben groaned and the pressure of the blade lifted. "Get off me, Gretel." He replied.

Gretel smirked and stood up, extending her hand. Ben grabbed it and she pulled him to his feet. Behind them, Gretel's older brother Hansel jumped down from the branch he had been perched on. He picked up Ben's rifle and laughed.

"Nice job sis." He said, tossing the younger boy his weapon. "I must say you make a very convincing dark witch."

Gretel narrowed her eyes. "Don't insult me." She warned.

Hansel rolled his eyes. Gretel sheathed her knife as Edward came lumbering into view. He dropped their packs next to them, along with Gretel's crossbow.

Gretel smiled up at the troll. "Thanks Edward." She said.

"You did better this time." Hansel told Ben. "At least Gretel didn't have you halfway up a tree."

Ben winced. "Let me have another go." He begged.

Hansel and Gretel exchanged looks.

"Look Ben." Gretel said gently. "Witch hunting isn't just about book smarts or practice. The only way you'll get better is when you're out there, actually up against a witch."

"Cause I guarantee you, you won't be letting your guard down when the witch is shooting at you with something other than fireworks." Hansel finished.

Gretel shrugged. "That's the most dangerous thing I can do besides shooting him."

Hansel's timer went off and he sighed. Rummaging through the pockets of his trench coat, he pulled out his medicine. Resting his leg on a knot in the tree, he inserted the needle into his thigh and pressed down on the plunger. Letting out a deep breath, he put the medicine away and picked up his pack.

"Let's move." He said. "Before we meet anybody we don't want to."

The team of four moved quickly, partially due to their desire to get to a town before nightfall, partially due to the fact that Edward could cover more ground than the three others combined. When they finally spotted a break in the trees, they stopped and observed the town from a distance.

"Not very active is it?" Ben asked.

That was an understatement. The town they were looking at was barely big enough to be called a town. It was basically a few buildings clumped together around a well, with paths leading off into various parts of the forest beyond. Groups of two or three people scurried about from one building to the next, hardly taking notice of each other.

"Let's hope it has some beds to spare." Hansel said. "I am not spending another night in this forest."

"Well there's only one way to find out." Gretel shouldered her crossbow and looked up at Edward.

"Sorry buddy, but you'll have to wait for us on the other side." She said.

Edward huffed and Gretel looked at him sympathetically. The troll patted Gretel on the back, nearly knocking her down, then turned and lumbered away. The three of them watched him go and then stepped into the clearing together.

The effect was almost instant. The moment their boots hit the gravel, everyone in town lifted their eyes to stare at the newcomers. Not the ones to be self conscious, Hansel and Gretel strolled confidently through the sea of eyes, while Ben followed quickly behind, head ducked.

"Excuse me." Hansel asked one of the men near the well. "Is there a place where we can rent a bed for the night?"

The man grunted in reply and lifted a wrinkled hand to point at a squatty building sitting at the very edge of the tree line.

"Thanks..." Hansel said.

Together, the witch hunters approached the building, everyone's eyes still trained on their retreating backs. Gretel knocked on the door and inquired about a place to stay. The keeper, a hunched over old man with a wisp of white hair stepped back to let them in. Together, Hansel, Gretel, and Ben entered the small cabin, Hansel crouching so he wouldn't hit his head on the ceiling.

"Beds are upstairs." The keeper croaked, waddling past them. "Washbasin down the hall. If you want food, you find it yourself."

Hansel and Gretel exchanged looks. Clearly this town was not used to visitors.

"`Why are you here anyway?" the man inquired.

"Just passing through." Gretel replied as Hansel and Ben started upstairs. "We're only staying the night."

The man grunted. "Well, you're lucky you showed up now. A month ago, I would've kicked people like you out."

"Why?"

"Cause them damn witches of course" the man said matter-of-factly. "Lighting up our barns, taking the younglings. It's people like you that attract them, see. But ever since them siblings…what were their names…?"

"Hansel and Gretel?" Hansel suggested, giving his sister a sly smile.

"That's them. Ever since they killed that head-witch in Augsburg, them devil sisters haven't dared come near any town. "

""You must be relieved." Gretel said, joining her brother on the staircase.

"Aren't you?" the keeper asked.

"We've never really had problems with witches." Hansel replied. Ben smirked and the three of them continued up to the next level of the house.

"Hmph. You're lucky then. Downright evil they are. All of 'em. Where are you from anyway?"

Their only reply was the sound of a lock clicking as they shut their room doors behind them. Together they decided that Gretel could have her own room while the boys would bunk across the hall. Later on that night, after eating something that could hardly be called food at the only tavern in town, they bid each other goodnight and settled down.

Gretel lay in her bed for a moment, staring up at the rotted ceiling. Then, she sat up and pulled her pack over, flipping the top open. She dug through the rolled up clothes, broken arrow shafts, and bullet castings until she found a small bundle, tied with a frayed rope. Carefully, almost gently, she undid the knot and unfolded it, revealing a long black stick cut with intricate designs and a pulsing red crystal at the center. It was a witch's wand.

Muriel's wand.

Gretel really couldn't explain how she got it-or why she even kept it. She just remembered finding it after Muriel's death and holding onto it. Why she hadn't chucked it over the nearest cliff was a mystery to her. She hadn't told Hansel about it either. She knew what he would say.

Using the corners of the cloth, she picked up the wand and inspected it closer. It really was well made, almost beautiful, in a twisted, black way. If she put it to her ear she could almost hear someone-_something_-whispering to her from the crystal…like the wand itself was alive.

_No,_ Gretel told herself. _Stop thinking about that. It's just a wand. The only power it had came from the witch, and the witch is dead…_

But still…there was just something about it….

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Gretel began to wrap the wand back up.

_She's getting to you, even in death_. She told herself.

Suddenly, Gretel's hand slipped and the wand tumbled into her lap, it's point grazing her wrist. Gretel let out a startled gasp as her vision was filled with a flash of light.

She was no longer in bed. Instead, she was standing at the mouth of a cave. It was dark, unnaturally so, the only light coming from a flickering campfire close by. A woman stood near it, her back to Gretel. Slowly, Gretel approached her, reaching out her hand. Her fingers touched the woman's shoulder and she turned.

Gretel stumbled back in horror. "No." she whispered, staring at the witch in front of her, her matted black hair barely concealing her pale, monsterly features...

Muriel laughed.

With a shuddering gasp the vision ended, and Gretel was once more in her room. Breathing heavily, she hastily wrapped up the wand and shoved it back in her pack. Laying down, she stared at the ceiling and listened to the sound of her frantic heart thumping against her chest.

It was just a dream. A vision. Some sleep-deprived figment of her imagination fueled by her own witch abilities. Muriel was dead. She and Hansel had killed her together.

After she'd calmed down a bit, Gretel closed her eyes and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Maybe that's what made it so easy for her to wake up barely a few hours later. At first, she wondered why she was awake. That's when she heard it again-an unmistakably familiar sound she'd heard so many times.

It was the sound of a woman's scream.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting! (._.) I know, I'm a horrible, mean, awful, fanfiction writer who doesn't deserve all these wonderful reviews... (thanks to those who did though!)

Anyway, enough groveling. *Insert disclaimer about Hansel and Gretel here*

Now, on with Chapter 2!

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Gretel, threw aside her covers and scrambled from the bed. Hansel too, was already awake and at the door. He tossed Gretel her crossbow, which she caught expertly and the two of them slipped out of the room. Ben was in the hallway, brandishing his gun and sporting a wild case of bed-head.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I dunno," Hansel replied from the stairs, "But we're about to find out..."

The three of them thundered down the stairs, past the inkeeper who was busy taking refuge behind an overturned table, and out the front door. The scene that greeted them was one that cause Gretel to groan.

"You've got to be kidding me." she muttered.

Hansel glanced over at her. "We can't get a break can we?"

The town was on fire, awfully similar to the scene in Augsburg those few months before. Women were running away from the flickering flames, young children in tow. Men of all ages were trying to put the fire out with meager buckets of well water while the straw and wood kept the inferno burning indefinately.

And, above the chaos, asride their booms, were three witches. They were summoning fireballs to throw at the poor villagers and cackling with glee.

Ben raised his gun to his shoulder and aims at one of the witches, but Gretel pur her hand on the barrel of the gun and forced him to lower it.

"No." she said.

"No?!" Ben asked increduously.

"No." Hansel agreed.

"It's too dangerous for you to be shooting around willy nilly." Gretel told him. "Let us take care of this. You go see if you can't help put out the fire."

Ben thought about it for a moment, then nodded. He lowered his gun and ran off in the direction of the well.

"And try to find Edward if you can!" Gretel called after him.

Hansel took a buring tortch from it's place in the wall and whistled loudly. The witches paused and glanced down at him, puzzled.

"Hey ugly!" Hansel taunted. "Catch!"

With a mighty heave, he tossed the tortch at the closest witch. It grazed the side of her broom, igniting it in a burst of flames. The witch let out a deathly screetch and turned towards Hansel, flying low, he wand raised dangerously. Hansel didn't flinch. He raised his gun and let loose a few rapid fire shots right into the witches chest. Her body slumped and she fell from her broom, tumbling onto the ground a few feet from where Hansel stood. Her head tiped dangerously to one side as she tried to lunge at Hansel, but Gretel's arrow found it's mark and the witch colapsed.

Hansel shot his sister a grin. Then his eyes widened.

"Look out!" He shouted, raising his gun.

Gretel turned just in time to feel something hard colide with her stomach and suddenly, she was lifted into the air. Blinking a few times to clear her head, she looked around and realized she was on the front of another witch's broom.

"Shit." she muttered, dodging a gnarled hand as the witch tried to take a swipe at her.

On the ground, Hansel watched as Gretel was lifted up into the air and tried to run after her, but the last witch, probably angry over the death of her sister, barrled into him. He barely had time to twist the witch around onto her back before she was on him again and the two began to scuffle.

Gretel held on for dear life as the broom sped off into the forest. The witch was spitting curses at her while trying to knock her off. Finally, she couldn't take it.

"Just. Shut...Up!" she snapped. Gretel held on to the end of the broom and swung her legs around, kicking the witch completely off. Gretel had no idea how to steer a broom so instead, she did what any logical person on a crashing broom would do.

She jumped.

Tree branches lashed out at her, cutting her face, hands, and any other bits of exposed skin. The only thing she could manage to do was hand onto her bow, and even that was a challenge.

Then, with a jarring _thud_ her freefall came to an end.

Grimacing, Gretel got to her feet and looked around. She wasn't far from the town, she could still see the flames through the trees. Without bothering to asses her wounds, she started to run back towards them, but the witch's hand shot up from the ground and grabbed her ankle, tripping her.

With a startled yelp, Gretel landed on the hard ground once again, this time loosing her pack, which spilled out onto the grass. Muriel's wand tumbled out, glowing faintly from in between the folds of the cloth.

Gretel and the witch stared at each other. The witch still had a grip on her ankle but was now fully focused on the wand lying only a few inches in front of her. Her face twisted into an expression of pure hunger.

Thinking reflexively, Gretel lashed out with her foot and hit the witch square in the jaw, knocking her back. She scooped up the wand, stuffing it into her pack before turning to face the witch.

She was gone.

Breathing heavily, Gretel turned and limped as fast as she could back towards town. As she got closer, she could hear voices calling.

"Gretel! _Gretel_!"

"Come on sis, give me a sign here!"

Hansel and Ben.

Gretel limped into the clearing and called back. "Over here."

Hansel turned. "Oh my-Gretel!"

He and Ben ran to her side and Gretel allowed herself to colapse on Hansel's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Hansel pulled her around to face him and held her head in his hands. Gretel pushed him away.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied. "The other witch?"

"She left as soon as the broom went down." Hansel said. "Didn't even bother to take her." he jabbed a thumb over his shoudl towards the body of the dead witch.

"No one was hurt though." Ben offered. "A few of the fires are still burning but..." He trailed off there. He didn't need to continue.

"We need to help put out the fires." Gretel said, starting off, but was stopped when Hansel grabbed her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Gretel glanced behind him into the woods. "Yeah..." she muttered. "I'm fine."


End file.
